[Nhcoll-l] FW: Museum collections

Thu Mar 30 10:56:51 EDT 2017

I received the exact some response. Word for word.

On Wed, Mar 29, 2017 at 8:16 PM, Mayfield, Teresa <tmayfield at utep.edu>
wrote:

> One of our curators wrote to ULM and this was the response.
>
>
>
> *Teresa J. Mayfield*
> Manager, UTEP Biodiversity Collections
>
>
>
> University of Texas at El Paso
> 500 West University Avenue
> El Paso, TX 79968*
> Biology Bldg. #222
>
>
>
> Office/Lab: (915) 747-5479  FAX: (915) 747-5808
> E-mail: tmayfield at utep.edu
>
>
> *zip code 79902 for FEDEX/UPS deliveries
>
> Website:  https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.utep.edu_leb_default.htm&d=DwIFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=zQ4RsU8b4cneOoG6U8JTWFWH5c3THnj4DLS1RVToeVM&s=niFGxo89J6FE0efG3_gL_FF4zxKwTyB_HffCFp1Y23Y&e= 
> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.utep.edu_leb_default.htm&d=DwMFAg&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=iu03JQsq99FERpHag0N6zLVwPwGnybacDPncmanuBpk&s=OZVTXAZ1K-_jwBvSXpWC6aS2LwQ7X8kCy3WVpEfLhRU&e=>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* Eric Pani [mailto:pani at ulm.edu]
> *Sent:* Wednesday, March 29, 2017 4:48 PM
> *To:* Mackay,William <wmackay at utep.edu>
> *Cc:* Cutler, Scott <scutler at utep.edu>; Greenbaum, Eli B <
> egreenbaum2 at utep.edu>; Harris, Arthur <aharris at utep.edu>; Johnson, Jerry <
> jjohnson at utep.edu>; Lavretsky, Philip <plavretsky at utep.edu>; Lieb, Carl <
> clieb at utep.edu>; Moody, Michael L <mlmoody at utep.edu>; Peterson, Markus J <
> mjpeterson at utep.edu>; Walsh, Elizabeth <ewalsh at utep.edu>; Worthington,
> Richard D. <rworthin at utep.edu>; Mayfield, Teresa <tmayfield at utep.edu>
> *Subject:* RE: Museum collections
>
>
>
> Professor Mackay:
>
>
>
> Postings on social media platforms recently have provided erroneous
> information about the decisions made regarding the Museum of Natural
> History at the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) and its research
> collections.  I am the person who made those choices and want to provide
> you with a first-hand account that is accurate and true.
>
>
>
> The research collections of plants, fish, amphibian, and reptiles have not
> been used by our students and faculty much in the last few years, except
> for instructional purposes.  Research use has largely been confined to
> people outside ULM from loans we have made to them and visits they have
> made here.  However, we have still had to maintain the collection.  I have
> concluded that the scientific integrity of the Museum’s research collection
> will be better preserved at another institution that has the resources
> needed to house and care for it adequately.  While this decision in not my
> ideal, it makes the most sense for preserving this important resource.  The
> ULM administration will do everything in its power to find the right fit
> for the collection which we hope will be in Louisiana or at least in the
> southeastern United States.
>
>
>
> Given that, I have asked that the Biology faculty pare the collection down
> to something that would meet their teaching needs and that would fit into a
> classroom-sized space. The rest of the collection needed to be moved, and
> they should begin to seek other institutions willing to accept our donation
> and transport the remaining holdings to their new home by mid-July.
> Failing that, disposal of the collection seems to be the only alternative.
> The 48-hr period mentioned in an erroneous Facebook post was the amount of
> time requested to locate other space on our campus where the whole
> collection could be moved.  That search has not located anything suitable.
>
> Please also understand that the Museum is not being closed.  It will
> remain on campus, but we are delaying its expansion for approximately two
> years because of space needs for another academic project that will be
> announced soon.
>
>
>
> I hope that you will help dispel false information about ULM and this
> matter by sharing this email with others.
>
> *********************************
>
> Eric A. Pani
>
> Vice President for Academic Affairs
>
> University of Louisiana at Monroe
>
> 700 University Ave., LIBR 640
>
> Monroe, LA 71209
>
>
>
> Phone; 318-342-1025 <(318)%20342-1025>
>
> Fax: 318-342-1034 <(318)%20342-1034>
>
> Mobile: 318-737-0437 <(318)%20737-0437>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* Mackay,William [mailto:wmackay at utep.edu <wmackay at utep.edu>]
> *Sent:* Wednesday, March 29, 2017 1:42 PM
> *To:* Eric Pani <pani at ulm.edu>
> *Cc:* Cutler, Scott <scutler at utep.edu>; Greenbaum, Eli B <
> egreenbaum2 at utep.edu>; Harris, Arthur <aharris at utep.edu>; Johnson, Jerry <
> jjohnson at utep.edu>; Lavretsky, Philip <plavretsky at utep.edu>; Lieb, Carl <
> clieb at utep.edu>; Moody, Michael L <mlmoody at utep.edu>; Peterson, Markus J <
> mjpeterson at utep.edu>; Walsh, Elizabeth <ewalsh at utep.edu>; Worthington,
> Richard D. <rworthin at utep.edu>; Mayfield, Teresa <tmayfield at utep.edu>
> *Subject:* Museum collections
>
>
>
> Dear Dr. Pani,
>
>
>
> I have just found out that University of Louisiana at Monroe Museum of
> Natural History Museum is going to be liquidated.
>
>
>
> I am a professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Texas, El
> Paso, as well as the Curator of Insects, where we are very active in
> expanding our Biodiversity Collections. We have been very successful in
> obtaining funds to support our collection. We are all actively publishing,
> including our graduate and undergraduate students, based on specimens in
> our collections. Collections are of tremendous importance in documenting
>  trends in biodiversity and in understanding the phylogeny of all groups of
> organisms.
>
>
>
> I urge you to find some other alternative in order to protect this
> indispensable and irreplaceable resource, which is so important in
> providing baseline data for studies that are being done and those that will
> take place in the future.
>
>
>
> William Mackay, Professor
>
> University of Texas at El Paso
>
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-- 
Anne Barber
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